Along the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos

The Mekong River is a big, muddy river with lush green banks that obscure the occasional village. It makes up most of the western border of the landlocked country of Laos. From northern Thailand, we took a pleasant two day boat trip along this river to the little tourist town of Luang Prabang.

We spent hours in a minivan from Chiang Mai to get to the border, and we were quite happy that the long, colorful boats were actually comfortable expecting hard wooden benches and ending up with car seats. The river was quite peaceful and beautiful, perfect for relaxing and enjoying the view. We had only a minor issue with the trip. Two hours into the first day our boat broke down. All 100 passengers had to abandon ship to another boat heading in the same direction. For the remaining six hours 200 people were packed on a boat made for half that, many of us sitting on the floor. All things considered, it was still a lovely trip that day, albeit slightly uncomfortable, reading and watching the scenery. The second day was much better because we had more room to spread out, and the sun made a showing after several days of rain. It was a great experience, not without a little adventure, that I would recommend to anyone.

Eventually, we made it to our final destination of Luang Prabang. Spread out along the shore of the Mekong River, this cute town is a little bigger and more developed than many of the hut-like villages we saw along the way. It is the primary destination for most tourists in Laos, and well setup to accommodate them. Intermixed with elaborately decorated temples are boutique hotels and adorable cafes. It is not uncommon to see a group of young monks walking the streets or packed into the back of a tuk tuk. Wake up early and you can catch the morning market full of interesting food the locals buy for their daily meals. In the evening the main road shuts down for the night market where you can buy trinkets, clothing and tasty street food.

While there isn't much to do in this town, there are a few highlights worth exploring. In the center of town is a mountain with a temple on top called Phousi Mountain. At the top is a fantastic 360 degree view of the town and surrounding area. It is a short, but steep hike up a flight of stairs, but totally worth it.

Luang Prabang also has a variety of beautiful waterfalls. We went to two of the three nearby: Kuangsi and Thad Sae. Both of these waterfalls are made up of a series of vibrant blue pools spilling into one another. Growing out of the pools are tall trees or clusters of bamboo. The limestone of the falls make some easy to climb up to sit under the pouring water. Both were gorgeous, but my favorite was Kuangsi because it was bigger and less commercial. Kuangsi had a Free the Bears project on site working toward conservation of moon bears. However, the other has an elephant riding camp next door. As much as I hate this activity, it made for a decent picture with the elephant walking through the pools. There may have been more people swimming at the bigger waterfall, but with an abundance of natural pools, it never seemed too crowded.

Another attraction I really enjoyed, although less well known, was the Laos UXO museum. A little bit of a walk from city center, this museum is nothing more than a small room packed with information. This organization works toward bringing awareness of unexploded cluster bombs left over from the Vietnam War. They help educate the locals on how to be safe, who to report to if a bomb is found, and help defuse or remove it when one is found. Although Laos was neutral and not officially part of the war, they are reported as being the most bombed country in the world. They are still suffering from this war with many people injured every year from inadvertently setting one off while tilling fields, hiking through the jungle, or kids playing with them unknowingly. This museum was really informative and interesting to see.

Our next stop from here is Hanoi, Vietnam. It takes time to acquire an approval letter to get into the country, so we extended our stay in Luang Prabang to a little more than a week. More than enough time to see everything with time to spare for relaxation. We spent a lot of time exploring the town, walking across a couple of precarious bridges, and seeking out the perfect noodle soup. We've been enjoying the laid back feel of this town, but are excited to be in a new country.

Hotels:
Lao Lu Lodge: $35/night
Lodge in Pakbeng: $28/night

Restaurants:
Tamarind
Utopia
Joma Bakery Café
Random noodle soup restaurants
Street food

Transportation:
Boat to Luang Prabang: 1,700 baht ea + passport photos 320 baht ea + visa fee $36 ea
Tuk Tuk to waterfall: 200,000 kip ea
Tuk Tuk and boat to waterfall: 200,000 kip ea
On foot

Activities:
Night Market
Kuang Si Falls: 20,000 kip
UXO Laos Visitor Center: free, donation 50,000 kip
Mount Phousi: 20,000 kip ea
Tad Sae Waterfall: 20,000 kip ea
Bamboo Bridge: 5,000 kip ea
Morning Market: free

Beautiful Northern Thailand

It has been a mellow couple of weeks in northern Thailand. We arrived in Chiang Mai a little overwhelmed by big cities to discover that it is much more quiet and less busy. We received some advice to stay in Old Town, and booked a small hotel down a narrow and peaceful alleyway. We could tell that we were in the right place because our first night also happened to be the Sunday Night Market. It takes place only a block away, and as crowded as it gets we could hardly hear all of the people from our hotel. We decided to check it out, and spent an hour or so wandering around the many food and craft stalls before heading back for some well deserved rest.

Chiang Mai offers many activities without the high pressure of some tourist towns. One of the main things to do here, and in much of Thailand is to visit elephants. Unfortunately, there aren't many ethical places to do so, and many places exploit and abuse their animals forcing them to be ridden, do tricks, etc. However, we found one place not far from Chiang Mai who works toward rescuing them, providing a place to them to roam freely and be happy. Elephant Nature Park allows you to interact with the elephants on their terms, coercing them into getting closer to people with tasty watermelons instead of pain and fear. We had such a wonderful experience observing, feeding, and even petting the elephants. I recommend this place to anyone staying in the area.

Even though it is currently the rainy season here, it is still very hot and humid. Thankfully, the lovely hills are home to a couple of swimming spots to help cool down. One of these places is called Bua Tong aka Sticky Waterfall. It gets its name because it is comprised of a rough limestone, making it easy to climb up. The rushing water felt great in the heat, and we spent the afternoon hauling ourselves up with ropes over several levels of waterfall.

Chiang Mai has a vibrant green countryside surrounded by forested hills. We thought it would be nice to explore them and take in as much of the scenery as possible. There are a few companies that offer multi-day treks in the area, and our hotel happened to be affiliated with one, making it easy to book. While the whole trek wasn't very difficult, often hiking along a road, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The views, when not shrouded by rain clouds was fantastic. Even the clouds hugging the steep, sloping farms was gorgeous. Little huts, cozy orchards, and bright green fields could be seen along the trail the entire way to the top. In fact, both nights were spent in a bamboo hut in a village. We met a few new friends and we're lucky enough to not get caught in too much rain.

After spending a week in Chiang Mai checking out the local markets, getting an occasional cheap massage, and seeing some attractions we decided to head a few hours north to an even smaller town called Pai. We rented a tiny bungalow within a short walk from the main street. It was quiet and peaceful, and came with a hammock. I spent a lot of time in that hammock reading and drinking coffee. Enhance the laid back ambience, you must cross a rickety bamboo bridge over a small river to get to town. Pai is a backpacker mecca with two main streets boasting scooter rentals, coffee shops, and unique restaurants. Each night street vendors setup shop selling anything from clothes to kabobs.

The popular thing to do is rent a scooter and drive out to one of the many waterfalls, hot springs or other natural sites in the surrounding area. We met up with a friend and did exactly that. We spent the morning eating a delicious breakfast and acquired a scooter then headed swiftly along one of the highways out of town. A couple of hours away is Lod Cave where you can take a bamboo boat from one end to another. It was fun to explore the stalagmites and stalactites with nothing but a gas lantern. Along the wild, twisty highway back we stopped off at a gorgeous viewpoint and took advantage of a lovely hot spring. The last stop was a brisk hike up a flight of stairs to see sunset from a big white buddha. It was perched on a hill just outside of town where you get one of the best views of Pai.

We had a great time in Pai, and I have earmarked it for a great vacation spot in the future. We have returned to Chiang Mai for a few days to do a cooking class, check out a temple or two, and plan the next step in our journey: a slow boat trip down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Hotels:
Kristi House: $9/night

Restaurants:
Kanjana
Farm Story House

Transportation:
Airplane to Chiang Mai
Tuk Tuk to waterfall: 200 baht ea
On foot

Activities:
Elephant Nature Park: 2500 baht ea
Cat Café: 110 baht ea (with coffee)
Mountain village trek: 2000 baht ea
Tha Pae Gate: free
Sticky Waterfall/Bua Thong: free
Night Bazaar: free
Cooking class at Asia Scenic: 800 baht ea


Pai, Thailand
Hotels:
Pai Country hut: $7/night

Restaurants:
Om Garden Café
Tik Kitchen
Street food: 40 baht ea

Transportation:
Bus to and from Pai: 150 baht ea
Rented scooter: 400 baht
On foot

Activities:
Temple on the Hill: free
Lod Cave: 200 baht ea
Pai Hot Springs: 30 baht ea
Night Market: free
Circus school: 100 baht ea